Title: A Chronicle of the Roman Twilight
Author: John Ranger
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 978-1-5320-4518-9
Pages: 670
Genre: Fiction / Action & Adventure
Reviewed by: Aaron Washington

Read Book Review

John Ranger , the author of A Chronicle of the Roman Twilight, brought me back to the early ages of civilization, and this was such a fantastic experience. The narrator of this unforgettable book excellently tells his story with a unique written voice. Born in December 364, the narrator, Marcus Cedranus, shares his life in southwestern Britain with us. I loved his interesting personality from the beginning. The author penned down the story a bit too well, as it felt I was virtually transported to Britain throughout my reading.

Marcus was born in an averagely wealthy family of four children. Unlike many adults who often have fond memories of their childhood, and even say that their younger years were the best, Marcus could not relate to this. He says that he does not have the natural experience of having happy childhood memories. He goes on to state that childhoods are sometimes filled with extreme challenges, which come to haunt or affect us when we are adults. Nevertheless, Marcus reckons that his early years were the most serene and calm.

I extremely enjoyed reading A Chronicle of the Roman Twilight. The author wrote in an exceptional manner and was able to capture the reader’s interest from the beginning. When reading, we can see how Marcus tells about his life and those around him. One can picture the socio-economic status in Britain during the early years, and have a feel of how the culture was back then. I love Marcus’ background, and that he mentioned he was bilingual; spoke both Latin and Celtic. The author’s writing style is one of the best qualities of the book. He increased my imagination and had me form a mental image of the world in the years mentioned.

Reading about the death of some of his siblings is emotional. Marcus could have had more siblings, but three of his brothers had died before reaching the age of five. The narrator writes that the loss of his siblings really affected his parents, having mentioned they were not on good terms with the father made it even more distressing. He went on to mention sometimes his father would lash out that Marcus’s dead brother would not have turned out like him… Poor Marcus.

Though not purely a historical book, I was able to learn a lot about rural communities in Britain; the cities, languages spoken by the upper-class and folks in the countryside, and the general way of life back then. Themes of conflict in the family, army life, love and romance, social classes in the society and child mortality were brilliantly covered in the book. It is an eye-opening narrative and readers will not skip any page, because of how well the book is written.

Marcus’s relationship with his parents, his relocation, training and tasks at Legion XXII Primigenia in Mainz and the Roman Army were so absorbing that I wished to read more. I would recommend this book to anyone who adores reading real stories, written in an impeccable manner.